Replication Server® maintains replicated data at multiple sites on a network. Organizations with geographically distant sites can use Replication Server to create distributed database applications with better performance and data availability than a centralized database system can provide.
This book introduces distributed database systems built upon replication technology and helps you design a replication system.
The Replication Server Design Guide is for everyone who uses Replication Server. If you are new to Replication Server, begin with this book for an introduction to Replication Server and the applications that use replicated data.
If you are designing a new application for Replication Server, you should read this book before you install the Replication Server software. Use the information in this book to plan your replication system so that you will know where to install the software components that make up your replication system.
The information in this book is organized as follows:
Chapter 1, “Introduction” introduces Replication Server and its features.
Chapter 2, “Application Architecture for Replication Systems” discusses replication system design issues.
Chapter 3, “Implementation Strategies” describes models for implementing your replication system design.
Chapter 4, “Planning for Backup and Recovery” describes the preventive and corrective measures you can use to recover from replication system failures.
Chapter 5, “Introduction to Replication Agents” describes Sybase Replication Agent products that you can use to replicate data from a database that is not an Adaptive Server® Enterprise database.
Chapter 6, “Replicating Data into Foreign Data Servers” describes the replication system components that you need to replicate data into a data server other than Adaptive Server®.
Chapter 7, “International Replication Design Considerations” describes how to configure languages, character sets, and sort orders for an international environment.
Appendix A, “Capacity Planning” explains how to estimate the amount of disk space needed for Replication Server partitions.
Appendix B, “Log Transfer Language” describes the Log Transfer Language (LTL) used by Replication Agents to send transaction operation and stored procedure invocation data to a Replication Server.
The Sybase Replication Server documentation set consists of the following:
The release bulletin for your platform – contains last-minute information that was too late to be included in the books.
A more recent version of the release bulletin may be available on the World Wide Web. To check for critical product or document information that was added after the release of the product CD, use the Sybase® Technical Library.
Installation Guide for your platform – describes installation and upgrade procedures for all Replication Server and related products.
What’s New in Replication Server? – describes the new features in Replication Server version 15.0 and the system changes added to support those features.
Administration Guide – contains an introduction to replication systems. This manual includes information and guidelines for creating and managing a replication system, setting up security, recovering from system failures, and improving performance.
Configuration Guide for your platform – describes configuration procedures for all Replication Server and related products, and explains how to use the rs_init configuration utility.
Design Guide (this book) – contains information about designing a replication system and integrating heterogeneous data servers into a replication system.
Getting Started with Replication Server – provides step-by-step instructions for installing and setting up a simple replication system.
Heterogeneous Replication Guide – describes how to use Replication Server to replicate data between databases supplied by different vendors.
Reference Manual – contains the syntax and detailed descriptions of Replication Server commands in the Replication Command Language (RCL); Replication Server system functions; Sybase Adaptive Server commands, system procedures, and stored procedures used with Replication Server; Replication Server executable programs; and Replication Server system tables.
System Tables Diagram – illustrates system tables and their entity relationships in a poster format. Available only in print version.
Troubleshooting Guide – contains information to aid in diagnosing and correcting problems in the replication system.
Replication Manager plug-in help, which contains information about using Sybase Central™ to manage Replication Server.
Use the Sybase Getting Started CD, the SyBooks™ CD, and the Sybase Product Manuals Web site to learn more about your product:
The Getting Started CD contains release bulletins and installation guides in PDF format, and may also contain other documents or updated information not included on the SyBooks CD. It is included with your software. To read or print documents on the Getting Started CD, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download at no charge from the Adobe Web site using a link provided on the CD.
The SyBooks CD contains product manuals and is included with your software. The Eclipse-based SyBooks browser allows you to access the manuals in an easy-to-use, HTML-based format.
Some documentation may be provided in PDF format, which you can access through the PDF directory on the SyBooks CD. To read or print the PDF files, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Refer to the SyBooks Installation Guide on the Getting Started CD, or the README.txt file on the SyBooks CD for instructions on installing and starting SyBooks.
The Sybase Product Manuals Web site is an online version of the SyBooks CD that you can access using a standard Web browser. In addition to product manuals, you will find links to EBFs/Maintenance, Technical Documents, Case Management, Solved Cases, newsgroups, and the Sybase Developer Network.
To access the Sybase Product Manuals Web site, go to Product Manuals.
Technical documentation at the Sybase Web site is updated frequently.
Finding
the latest information on product certifications
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Click Certification Report.
In the Certification Report filter select a product, platform, and timeframe and then click Go.
Click a Certification Report title to display the report.
Finding
the latest information on component certifications
Point your Web browser to Availability and Certification Reports.
Either select the product family and product under Search by Base Product; or select the platform and product under Search by Platform.
Select Search to display the availability and certification report for the selection.
Creating
a personalized view of the Sybase Web site (including support pages)
Set up a MySybase profile. MySybase is a free service that allows you to create a personalized view of Sybase Web pages.
Point your Web browser to Technical Documents.
Click MySybase and create a MySybase profile.
Finding the latest information on EBFs and software
maintenance
Point your Web browser to the Sybase Support Page.
Select EBFs/Maintenance. If prompted, enter your MySybase user name and password.
Select a product.
Specify a time frame and click Go. A list of EBF/Maintenance releases is displayed.
Padlock icons indicate that you do not have download authorization for certain EBF/Maintenance releases because you are not registered as a Technical Support Contact. If you have not registered, but have valid information provided by your Sybase representative or through your support contract, click Edit Roles to add the “Technical Support Contact” role to your MySybase profile.
Click the Info icon to display the EBF/Maintenance report, or click the product description to download the software.
